


the sun doesn't shine at night

by curiouscat99



Category: Dororo (Anime 2019), Dororo to Hyakkimaru-den
Genre: Action, Adventure, Angst, F/M, Gen, Other, Tags to be add, dont like dont read i dont need your shitty comments too, dororo to hyakkimaru-den - Freeform, tahodoro, tahomaru x dororo, taking the first bold step in posting the first fic of this pairing in this site, they are not underage mind you, welp
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-01
Updated: 2020-04-14
Packaged: 2021-03-01 05:35:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,601
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23430049
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/curiouscat99/pseuds/curiouscat99
Summary: Dororo has never truly known peace in her sixteen years of being alive. Looking for a multitude of ways to survive another day, life gets exhausting. Until she met a mysterious young man lying on the battlefield. Well, who knows if she might get lucky with this guy.Or maybe not.
Relationships: Dororo/Tahomaru (Dororo)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 23





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to the very first fanfic of this pairing in this site. This is based from the latest Dororo manga, "Dororo to Hyakkimaru-den" and although the title is Dororo and Hyakkimaru, this story is about Dororo and Tahomaru. This is my second time writing for this fandom after 'My Little Bride' which is purely HyakkiDoro. I am writing this fic solely for self indulgent (just like my other works) Now, I am not sure how old Tahomaru and Dororo in the current manga so I manipulate their ages a bit (lol) TahoDoro is growing on me *kicks tree* I CANT HELP IT!

Survival is her expertise. From stealing food and goods here and there to scamming anyone who is idiotic enough to fall for a simple trick. That being said, this too shall pass.

Before she realizes it, she is out of breath, her legs are tired and she is panting heavily after climbing a tree. Her nails sore from clawing its trunk, red scratches on her arms and face from the brawl earlier after stealing a sack of rice from a trader. One of the merchant’s men accidentally caught her (not surprising considering she couldn’t simply carry an entire sack with ease) She was not stupid enough to think she could. However, the situation has demanded it. The thick foliage hiding her presence from her pursuers. She has already reached the deeper part of the forest and in silence, she is surprised to know that they still haven’t given up on chasing her down. When she heard the footfalls, Dororo clasps her mouth to control her breathing. Three men from below cursing and yelling at the other. Moments later, they went in separate directions, dividing the job of finding the ‘little shit’. Dororo sighs in relief once they are out of her sight. It can also be another way around.

Her unruly hair framed her angelic visage, but her face no matter how charming, has always been covered with dirt. In sixteen years of her life, Dororo has never truly known peace. Being born and raised in the era of war, she has been to countless trials. She also travels a lot, jumping from village to village and living the life of a scoundrel never allowed her to stay in one place for long. She’s used to being chased, being beaten up and run as fast as she can for her dear life.

It is exhausting, just when will these powerful madmen get along so there will be no war anymore?

“Dammit,” Dororo pressed her back with both of her hands and just then she found that she has a few broken bones. She remembers getting slammed through a wall when the guy picked her up like a cat. After that is where the trouble started; her picking rock and throwing it to the man who injured her then the man chasing after her before the owner and another man followed. She ran through to the nearest forest to lose them which she barely did, luckily for her, sunset is just around the corner and it will be dark soon. Of course, they will give up, she failed to steal the sack of rice after all.

Sighing, Dororo looks down somberly, remembering the sick old man she just met that day. The man is living alone and with his condition, there is no way for him to take care of himself much more to feed himself. She planned on giving him the sack of rice and a few other things she stole before but she got caught. Now she will have a hard time returning to that village.

“Argh! I got so careless and lost everything.” she shuffles her hair and sighs again in defeat. 

A noise coming from two different directions caught her attention and Dororo pouts, listening to the incoming barrage of horses from afar. 

“Must be the Sakata and Washizu clans’ warriors.” slowly, she climbed down the tree and while thinking about her next move, Dororo decided to watch and wait for the battle’s outcome. The Sakata and Washizu clans declared war against each other for no longer than six months. They are the new addition to the already war-torn province. It’s like everywhere she goes, there is war and she’s getting pissed of it, not that she can do something about it.

Dororo looks for the direction of the sound. From an elevated terrain, she saw a red flag with the Sakata clan symbol to the right and to the left she saw the Washizu clan’s blue flag. She peeks from the bushes as the two opposing forces march to meet in the middle where they would commence their battle. Maybe after this, she might get something to loot from the dead bodies and no, she doesn’t care whoever wins or loses. All she cares about is how she will survive in a world that is too war-torn to have a glint of hope. 

She just hopes that whatever she might take today it won’t be another cheap sword or an empty purse.

Her line of sight turned to her left seeing a lone horse carrying a man, scurrying amidst the soon to be a battlefield. Curiously, she tilts her head, her eyes never leaving the man. Her current location is far to see the person’s face or to assume if he belongs to either clan. He can be a civilian, a warrior or a traveler for all she cares. Well, forget about him, he’s not important anyway. 

Until the man fell from the horse, his entire body limp after meeting the ground. The horse continues to gallop leaving its master.

“What the hell?! Why is that guy sleeping on the road now?” out of reflexes, Dororo raises, her eyebrows twitch in confusion. What just happened? Why is he…

The man, facing the soil, jerks ever so lightly and is literally crawling like a worm. Dororo blinks, watching the man, but somehow at the back of her mind, her conscience is screaming to do what she must; help him.

The noises from both sides grew louder and she was left with no other choice but to leave her spot to get the unknown man lying on the dirt. She scrambles her feet before the Sakata and Wazushi forces slash each other’s neck and paint the ground crimson otherwise that man would end up being a victim. And Dororo, having to witness that, wouldn't be able to sleep soundly at night for the rest of her life. She may be a thief but she is no murderer, and leaving the man out there would also mean killing him.

Dororo rushed and stooped to flip the man’s body. “Oi! Wake up! What are you--” her words die in her tongue after finding out that the man is injured. The front part of his kimono soaking in blood. She couldn’t point out exactly where the blood is coming from but at this moment there is only one thing she must do; save him.

Quickly, she grabbed his left arm and put it around her shoulders. The man is tall and it's going to be one hell of a challenge to carry him while fleeing as fast as she can. Grumbling and huffing, Dororo wrapped her arm to his waist and did her best to drag his body away. It takes her a couple of minutes before successfully dropping him behind the bushes. Dororo plops down next to the unconscious man breathlessly. He is darn heavy, probably thrice her weight. It was getting dark but the moonlight allowed her to see a glimpse of the man’s face. 

He is young with a slender but well-toned frame. His face is paler than normal most likely due to blood loss. Dororo hurriedly checks his wound starting from his chest to abdomen. Shakily, her hand reaches for the man’s kimono and slowly lifts it up. Her cheeks flushed from the embarrassment. Sure, she had seen countless shirtless males throughout her life but this is the very first time she is doing it on purpose. Dororo keeps on glancing at the young man’s sleeping face and prays to Kami that he won’t suddenly open his eyes and accuse her of taking advantage of him. Sweat rolls from her forehead despite the wintry air of the mountains. Dororo lets out a gasp discovering a gash just below his right rib cage. 

“Oh my,” she panics and gulps, then thinks of something that will help him stop from bleeding. She considers tying it with her scarf but she uses it to protect her identity. Being a sixteen-year-old lady in an era like this is the last thing one would wish and so Dororo lives as a male, dressing and acting like one. 

Without finding anything in her possession that can cover the wound, she tears the lower part of the man’s kimono. Dororo takes a handful of the fabric enough to wrap the wound. From behind them, the fight between two clans erupted and their noise filled her ears but she did not mind. Screams and clashes of metal reverberate in the air as she covers the gash, her hands all bloodied from the young man’s wound. Dororo only knows the basics of treating an injury but even someone like her knows that it is a dangerous cut. It is deep and he already lost a lot of blood, he needs proper medication right away. 

A groan coming from the young man makes her flinch and take her hands off him. Dororo stumbles backward in surprise, gazing at the young man.

“O-Oi,” she calls nervously. “You...fell from your horse and uh..I figured out that you’re injured so I…” she continues in a stutter.

The young man moves his head to see her clearly, his eyes half-lidded and mouth agape. 

Their eyes locked and Dororo’s body froze. She has never seen such stirring eyes that speak a thousand words with one look. Like a vagrant soul, looking for the meaning of life in a wretched world. 

“Who are you?” she asks. In all honesty, she is baffled as to why she asked him that instead. There are so many things she should have said.

He stares at her as if seeing her soul and Dororo felt a chill on her spine. She is about to ask him again when he answers;

“I am..Tahomaru.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a few notes: Dororo is posing as a boy (for survival duh) so there will be a change of pronouns here and there. I also gave Tahomaru eyebrows (dammit just give my boy eyebrows!)
> 
> i also write late at night so forgive me and my nonsense babbles sometimes hehe

It takes great effort for her to haul the entire body thrice her weight all night. Dororo has zero ideas how she managed to carry him, it’s not like she will get something in return for saving the man but the voice in her head keeps on refusing to simply abandon him and go on with her life. He’s a complete stranger, it wouldn’t change anything if she let him die in the middle of an enormous forest. Besides, if not because of her, he’s already rotting, mingling with the dirt with the crows feasting on his meat - which is also the reason why she cannot simply leave him behind.

The man, or Tahomaru, just like how he introduced himself (and oh, how memorable or better yet, unforgettable how his introduction was made) immediately went back to sleeping (perhaps the right term is unconsciousness) and she was left with no other choice than to bring him - to where? She still hasn’t decided. That terrible wound of his should be treated and that is all she knows. First, she needs to find a place or maybe someone who could help him. Despite this nasty era, there are still people who are willing to help even strangers. Dororo has been wandering for all her life, she meets good people and bad as well although most of the time, her luck of finding good things has always been slim. It doesn't mean that luck is never on her side. Being alive for sixteen years in a war-hungry nation, she considers herself luck and tough enough to survive more years. 

Getting tired, she drops him again beside a tree and uses her remaining strength to put him in a sitting position. The sun has risen up and just then she noticed that the man’s hair is white - that’s right - like an old man. But there is no way that the man is old given that he has a nice complexion and...face? Whether Dororo stared at the man’s face while he’s sleeping or that she finds him slightly attractive, she would never admit it.

“Oi,” Dororo pokes his cheek attempting to wake him up. “C’mon, you can’t possibly let me carry you all day. Wake up! I’m really tired now, you know?!” she rants and then after a few minutes of failing to wake him, Dororo rolls her eyes and stretches her back and arms, stiff from the weight of the man.

It’s a good thing that his wound stopped bleeding but still, he needs to get proper treatment. 

The chirping of the birds and the rusting of leaves answers her instead after a long moment of silence. 

“I need to get water,” she mutters to herself. In reality, she is trying to strike a conversation with a sleeping man but forget it, it looks like he’s not going to wake up any sooner. Dororo looks around her to find a river where she can get water.

“I’ll be back, okay?” she stares at the sleeping figure before running towards the sound of a nearby waterfall. Before getting there, she finds edible fruits from a low lying branch and takes it. All the while thinking about the man she just saved.

“I wonder if he’s going to wake up. What if he died before I got to call for help?” she pouts, hugging the fruits in her hands and shakes the thought of her head. She saved him and from the moment she decided that he became her responsibility. There is no way she could just let him die. 

Dororo reaches the small river beside a waterfall. Its crystal clear water makes it easier for her to see the fishes.

“You’re lucky I’m in a hurry now or you’ll be my lunch today.” she sniggers and proceeds to fetch water using an empty shell of some fruit.   
A breeze passes by and the trees around sway and swishes from behind her. Dororo got startled and turned her head. It gives her a bizarre feeling like someone is watching her.

Slowly she reached on a few rocks and started clenching it in her hand warily. Dororo waits and waits until the trees and the wind whoosh again make her jump and face the unknown.

“Who is that?!” she yells, fear creeping in her spine. Dororo gulps and looks around to find what’s going on when a bird with a monstrous size barge outside the forest, striking her.

“Ahh!” she ducks and rolls. Horrified at the beast that suddenly revealed itself. She looked up and saw that it was indeed enormous and there was nothing she could do against it. Without wasting another second, Dororo bolted back inside the forest, screaming at the top of her lungs, totally forgetting the fruits and the water from earlier. 

“Nooo! Help! Heeeeeelp!” Dororo runs as fast as she can but the bird is persistent in chasing her.

“The smell! Blood. Blood of Daigo is in you!” 

As if its size is not enough to make her run for her life, the damned thing is also speaking. Dororo considers herself having a nightmare because what the hell, why is a bird talking?

It is the voice of a woman. Creepy and high pitched. She feels her heart racing, her legs doing its best to evade the beast. At that moment, she felt just only one thing; fear.

Her foot slips on a twig causing her to stumble with her face slamming on the dirt. Dororo tries her best to get up before the bird catches her to no avail as she struggles upon the throbbing of her foot.

She squirms and eyes at the monster with nothing but terror when a glint of white catches her vision. Due to the incredible speed, Dororo isn’t able to tell what creature, whether a man or a monster did slice the bird’s other wing in two. It crashes down creating specks of dust and it screeches like a loon, an ear-splitting noise is heard. Dororo covers her ears and slowly opens her eyes yet the smoke from the dust blocks her vision. 

“Hmm, it seems your luck is thinning.” an old man speaks, once the filth has lessened, Dororo blinks at the man standing before her. He looks like an old traveling monk, blind in one eye.

“You--!” the monster bird bleeds and it flaps and wriggles its now torn wing before collapsing fully, drowning in its own blood.

“You’ve been weakened. You met him before, haven’t you?” the monk says, swinging his sword removing the stain of blood. 

The bird’s big, yellow eyes glare at him as though boring it to the soul of the old man. Not a moment later, it chokes thick black blood and just then Dororo notices how it is already injured by the time it is chasing her. It closes its eyes and slowly but painfully descends to its death.

“How troublesome,” the monk returns his sword in its scabbard and looks at the young lady, gawking at him with disbelieving eyes. 

“Are you hurt anywhere, child?” he asks concernedly.

Dororo flinches and immediately rises to thank the man. “I’m..I’m fine, gramps,” she stares at the dead bird and then back at the monk. “That was amazing! But what is that even?” she asks back pointing at the unknown creature. 

“A demon bird. It’s fortunate that I went on this way, child. Otherwise, you could have ended up as its victim or worse, a new vessel.” 

She shakes her head. Dororo has heard of demons before but for the first time, she has faced one. Although it is hard to believe that such a creature exists, having to experience meeting one for the first time in her sixteen years of life absolutely mortified her. She has heard that it is rare for one to encounter a demon. Mostly, only warriors or people who are chasing after it are the only ones who could see it face to face. Dororo sighs, who in their right mind would want to see a demonic, ugly creature? Totally not her.

“Oh!” her awareness turns to the present and remembers that she still needs to do something. “Thank you so much for your help, I don’t know how to thank you, gramps.” she turns around, remembering there is someone who must be waiting for her but her foot aches causing her to stumble once again.

“Ow my foot!” she makes a hard glance at her left foot. From the looks of it, it strained from her fall earlier. The monk approaches her and kneels to check it. He pinches it lightly and Dororo yelps but allows him to touch it with his wrinkled, scarred hands. The stranger is blind in one eye, making her lift an eyebrow wondering if he can actually see it. 

“Not a broken bone at least. It’ll be fine after three days.” he declares, helping her to stand. 

Dororo dips her strained foot. Great, now she has no other choice but to drag it not to mention that she still needs to carry-

An idea pops in her mind and Dororo holds the old man’s sleeves. “Gramps, if you don’t mind,” she starts, her voice full of tension. “I need help. I mean, I know you just killed the demon birdie to save me but I’m.. I need someone who can help me with-” she is cut off when the old man puts a hand on her shoulder.

“Relax and tell me what you need,” he assures as to lift the tension on the child.

Dororo heaves a mighty sigh and pulls his sleeves.

“Just follow me, gramps,”

* * *

Biwamaru gazes at the sleeping man beside a tree as the child explains everything to him. He hums while Dororo tells him the story of how she finds the young man.

“Blood loss. He’ll wake up soon with proper treatment.” the monk says stooping in front of Tahomaru.

“Do you know where I can bring him? It’s been a whole day and he hasn’t woken up yet. He just told me his name and lost consciousness again. Maybe somewhere I can get him treatment so I can go on. Sheesh, my shoulders are aching from carrying this asshole!” Dororo rants, hands akimbo and sighs. The monk chuckles, even though the child has been whining about it, she could have easily dropped him along her way, making him think that the child he just saved has a good heart despite her harsh words. 

“There is a temple from where I’ve been.” the monk says and Dororo’s eyes glimmers. 

“Can we get him there? I swear I will pay you with..” she pauses realizing she has no possession to pay for the man.

But the monk laughs. “I am a traveler and it was fate who brought us together. I’m sure fate has its own way of paying me up.” and proceeds to sling Tahomaru’s limp arm on his shoulder. 

Dororo grins, thanking him again and together they carried the young man to the nearest temple outside the vast forest.

* * *

The local priests of the shrine they’ve spotted hurriedly prepare a futon and a vacant room for the injured stranger and Dororo is more than happy that they welcomed them without anything in return. The temple is located near a small village but still far from the vicinity of the central, uphill, that’s why Dororo and the monk who helped her had a hard time supporting Tahomaru’s tall stature. She also had numerous grunting and swearing how unbelievable the young man is for being able to sleep soundly along their way. In her opinion, he should have jolted awake from the way he is dragged sort of roughly from all their tiredness carrying him. Dororo had to control herself from slapping the shit out of him in an attempt to wake him up but the monk said it might worsen his condition.

“Whew,” she swings her right foot while her bandaged left foot remains still, the priests from the shrine treated her too which is a plus. “ Thank you for everything you’ve done for me today, gramps! I owe you a lot and uhh…” she says, sitting on a log near a garden. 

“Don’t sweat it, child.” the man says as he rises. “ may our paths crossed again.

Dororo gazes at him confusingly. “W-wait, you’re leaving?”

The monk nods. “Our world is big, child and there are many dangerous entities that you might encounter.” he dips his cane and starts to walk away. “Everything happens for a reason. Sometimes a person you meet in an untimely manner ends up becoming the most important.”

Dororo blinks at his words but continues to listen. She has no idea what the old man is talking about and she surely does not have the brain cells to decipher the very thought of it. In the end, the only thing she can do is to let the man go.

“Hey gramps, can I at least get your name?”

The monk looks over his shoulder and with a smile; “Biwamaru.”

She flashes him a toothy grin and albeit with a saddened expression, because she couldn’t give anything to the man as a token of appreciation for saving her and for carrying the stranger she has been carrying, Dororo introduces herself.

“I’m Dororo! Take care gramps Biwa!” and waves her hand for goodbye.

The sun is already low on the horizon painting the sky dark orange by the time Dororo decides to leave. Yet her foot is still aching making her think if she should leave by now. The young man is now in good hands and soon, he will wake up. Good, now she can continue her journey. After hours of musing where she should go next, Dororo has decided to go West in the Kaga region. People said that the province is abundant and flourishing although she also heard that the two mightiest clans of that area are currently trying to butcher the other. Dororo grumbles, there is literally no place without war now. 

“Boy, you’re his friend, right?” a young monk, probably a trainee, calls her from afar. Dororo looks at his direction. Friend? Hell, she doesn’t know him at all.

“Eh, not really-” she is about to answer but the young monk walks to her and pulls her arm. 

“Come, he has gained his consciousness.”

Dororo’s eyes are fluttered open in surprise. “Wha- that's good news then!” she pauses. Crap, she should be going by now but the trainee boy drags her all the way to Tahomaru’s room.

* * *

His head feels like it will split into two and what’s worse, he got a deep and pretty serious wound in his side which is now covered with a clean bandage. He notices how a part of his original clothes is torn, glancing at it on the small table beside the bed as it lays down at the top of it, bloodied and muddied, but forget it, Tahomaru is more concerned about how he ended up in this place.

He can still remember how his last battle with his older brother, the demon, went. It was disastrous, pure of fury with both of them adamant to kill each other off. Tahomaru grimaces at the thought of his brother - no - Hyakkimaru, that bastard who is the main cause of his and their domain’s misery. He needs to kill him or else...or else the demons will break their pact with his father ending up with their clan’s fall. 

Tahomaru uses his elbows to adjust himself on the bed, thoughts wandering in the air when he hears footsteps coming in from the door. He stares at it blankly hearing whispers of two people until it creaks open, revealing a teenage boy.

“You’re awake! Thank goodness, I’ve got the toughest time keeping you alive, ya know?” Dororo slumps on the floor, limping with her strained foot and observes the young man. The priests changed his bloody clothes to a simple light blue yukata. 

Tahomaru looks at her deadpan, stunned at her presence. Dororo’s eyebrows furrows.

“Say, do you remember what happened last night? You almost died when you fell from your horse. What do you think you were doing letting yourself between the opposing clans on their way to fight each other, geez.” Dororo shakes her head, casually taps her lap and looks all over the room. “You’re lucky I found you-”

“You saved me?” for the first time since he woke up, Tahomaru speaks. Dororo’s head turns to him, half surprised and half wondering.

“Of course I did, idiot. Who else would?” she grunts and huffs then rolls her eyes. And here she thought the young man is wise enough to read the situation.

“Thank you.” he bows, thanking her. “Thank you for saving my life,”

Dororo’s eyes widen, well, looks like the young man is decent enough to be grateful to an unknown teen like her. Getting embarrassed on the way he looks at her (now that he’s fully awake and that she can see him more clearly) Dororo silently notes that the man is kind of cute.

What  
Wait-

“Heh,” channeling her inner boy persona, she stands and walks to him, towering over the young man still in bed.

“Do you really think I saved you for nothing?” she chastised with a wolfish grin, extending her palm towards Tahomaru.

He gazes at the teen’s palm and then back at her face curiously. 

“Pay me up, my service is not free ya know?”

There is a pin drop silence between them and Tahomaru controls his urge to laugh. If not because of his rib wound he would have laughed out loud already.

Ah, well, the teen saved him after all. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if ever you're wondering, yes, Tahomaru thinks she's a boy. hm.


End file.
